Nixon White House Tapes — Conversation 372-038
Date: Wednesday, October 25, 1972 at 3:25 PM
Participants: Nixon, Richard M. (President); Haldeman, H. R. ("Bob"); [Unknown person(s)]; Bull, Stephen B.
Recording device: Old Executive Office Building
Source: https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/372-038

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite it as authoritative.

[0:20] He also might have a defense policy that he isn't able to work this line in the foreign policy.
[0:34] In other words, you may have two speeches, one in defense and one in foreign policy.
[0:40] I particularly wanted to read what I said in San Francisco, where I take on the whole idea of nasty retaliation.
[0:45] I find that the fate of small nations could be that they definitely did not have conventional forces.
[0:53] So you can make a defense policy speech, and a foreign policy speech.
[0:59] I've said it all before.
[1:01] Say it again.
[1:02] It'll get another play, another rhyme.
[1:05] It will point up a massive difference in the country.
[1:10] So I agree that we ought to write two speeches, one on foreign policy and one on defense policy.
[1:25] Now in terms of timing, I told them to get early on thought they'd get some type of urban affairs speech ready by Saturday.
[1:37] We're going to do the farm speech Friday now.
[1:41] And try to get urban affairs speech for Saturday.
[1:47] If not, run a board policy Saturday.
[1:48] And they don't want to work on that.
[1:49] And then urban affairs later, if you get your urban affairs speech, you don't have to do one Saturday.
[1:54] Well, I think we should.
[2:02] I don't have any idea.
[2:03] I'm just throwing that on the paper.
[2:06] I'll just keep right after it.
[2:09] I wouldn't know where he's going to leave me without that message.
[2:13] And it's just like falling off a log.
[2:14] It really takes up my time.
[2:18] I have an hour today.
[2:19] About an hour, actually.
[2:19] That's great.
[2:20] Thank you.
[2:43] That's the thing, to use as president.
[2:48] Hell yeah.
[2:48] As well as in the campaign.
[2:51] I think we ought to do a request rating.
[2:53] I know they don't pay for it.
[2:55] That's right.
[2:56] And just in one radio, we'd like to speak to the nation on the radio.
[2:59] That's right.
[3:00] And let the vampires run a camp kind of a thing.
[3:03] And let the vampire camps run on those up there.
[3:07] And there's nothing different about that.
[3:10] That's right.
[3:10] Just keep it.
[3:55] How long was that?
[3:58] About the top of the Sunday.
[4:04] Then you'd be able to eat all the rest of it.
[4:07] Yeah.
[4:08] But on Sunday, you'd get a lot of room.
[4:12] Huh?
[4:12] You'd get a lot of room, by the end.
[4:15] Right?
[4:15] You can't do it.
[4:16] Either day is all right.
[4:17] You can do it.
[4:18] Sunday dinner, basically.
[4:18] Mm-hmm.
[4:18] Right?
[4:18] Sunday dinner.
[4:19] Yeah.
[4:19] Well, we don't have a lot of time to do a show here.
[4:20] We always want to do it.
[4:31] I don't know what the hell they are.
[4:40] I've been pushing them hard.
[4:45] Then get how you want one for Chicago.
[4:49] Hell yeah.
[4:49] Hell yeah.
[4:50] That's the way to make the news.
[4:52] You don't have to, because you can make the news with a drop state.
[4:55] How can you not?
[5:01] But I won't.
[5:05] I won't put as much effort into it.
[5:10] But no radio.
[5:13] You can drop a statement, do that, and it seems to me you don't need the radio station.
[5:20] You're pretty much walking on your own.
[5:25] But then Wednesday, the first issue,
[5:30] I think you've got something on there.
[5:48] Well, we should perform every Sunday.
[6:08] Well, let's see what we've got up there.
[6:14] Two Sunday for Monday.
[6:18] Port affairs, my view is to do it Saturday to get it ready for Sunday and then put urban.
[6:24] I think for Sunday papers and port affairs, it's better to put out Saturday.
[7:02] It occurred to me that on here, uh, the one thing you might do is to get like, get that bunch over there and add the dark media.
[7:12] And then get Amnesty's spot.
[7:16] Oh, which is fun.
[7:17] I feel such a good subject for all of us.
[7:21] Got it.
[7:21] Head on spot.
[7:22] Oh, yeah.
[7:22] Head on every time.
[7:25] You want to put there and show us a change in your mind?
[7:29] No.
[7:31] See, they don't say it changes his mind.
[7:36] They say, more so with them, they make a position, then they say, you know, what does it mean?
[7:52] How about this?
[7:53] At the very least, it would be a goddamn good anniversary radio spot.
[7:57] 32nd Radio Spot in Crayon, California with that.
[8:04] go into the South, you know, once you do that, sort of the line that George McGovern was for amnesty, for gratification, and so on and so forth, so that you could provide amnesty to Nixon, Nixon said absolutely against amnesty.
[8:23] He said he should honor those who served him and provided them with something to carry on.
[8:28] On this issue alone,
[8:34] You can and should write it.
[8:45] It's the only one.
[8:59] Why don't you try that?
[8:59] Okay.
[8:59] What's he doing?
[9:00] I don't care.
[9:08] We understand now he's going to do another sabotage one.
[9:48] There may be any budget that hasn't come through that they've got to be hammering into something else to get through.
[9:58] The economic issue has become truly huge.
[10:00] And the Vietnam issue is going against them.
[10:06] The Vietnam issue gets through it all.
[10:08] Yeah, it sure does.
[10:11] The Vietnam issue does.
[10:35] or is usually used when a newspaper is attacked, such as you did in the way that you've attacked the Post today, and that is yellow journalism, as you've characterized Post's activities as yellow journalism.
[10:47] Sigrid not wanting to fall into the trap at that, his trap at that point, said, I'll stand by what I have said, but he did it on shabby journalism, shawty journalism, and on the, he went through a whole track, I can't believe I've said it,
[11:30] It sure can't hurt us that you have money now.
[12:13] It was fun to listen to, and our people will love it.
[13:01] doing his observations with the president.
[13:12] He did not characterize it as your view.
[13:19] He very clearly said it was his.
[13:20] So he did not discuss it with you.
[13:22] And he called on all of you.
[13:25] He did some good stuff, but more in order than I had worked on lines and approaches against him.
[13:31] I know.
[14:36] We'll all pick it up and carry it as fact, mentioning very softly in passing, as reported in the Washington Post today.
[14:44] You won't hear that, probably, but it'll be here about a couple of days.
[14:47] Then, tomorrow, the Washington Post and maybe one or two other of the great newspapers will run editorials, be moaning this terrible...
[15:19] It's exactly what we're about.
[15:52] ... ... ... ... ... ...
[16:35] And then.